Comeuppance
Tyr Anasazi surveyed his prisoners with a cold eye. The deck of their ship was slick with blood; the crew of The Laughing Sphinx had fought valiantly to prevent him and his pirate crew from taking over their ship. He had to wonder about that. Did they know who it was they protected? Did they know who exactly it was that he'd come here to kill? Kicking a path through the broken bodies of both his and his quarry's fallen comrades, he sheathed his sword and pushed his bloody, waist-length braids back from his face in annoyance. During the battle, he'd been moving so fast that the leather thong that held the thick mass in place had broken. There wasn't an inch of his muscular body that wasn't soaked in the blood of his enemies. He looked like a bloody horror to the opposing crew, no wonder some called the Berserker a demon.
"Where is she? Where is your queen?"
He blinked when a few members of the remaining Sphinx crew stumbled as someone pushed their way through them. Suddenly before him stood the woman he'd come here to murder. He took her in, not believing his eyes. Here before him stood a short, stern-looking woman. She had to be at least a foot shorter than everyone on the airship; no wonder he'd overlooked her! It didn't help that she was dressed in men's clothing, giving her the appearance of a cabin boy. She radiated presence though. One noticed her authoritative stance before noticing her cute features. Her slim body was soaked in blood; obviously, she'd fought hard with her men this evening. The sun was setting directly behind her, giving her an ethereal look as she glared at the Captain of Death. Time seemed to stop for the man as their eyes met for the first time in ten years. He felt the missing part of his soul staring at him through the enchanting, expressive eyes of a stranger. For a moment all of his walls came down and it took more strength and discipline than he cared to admit to remain rooted to the spot. Everything in him wanted to go to her, the pull of their souls was undeniable. But she'd taken something from him before blocking their mental bond all those years ago. She'd taken it and now he wanted it back. Her death would give it back. The berserker drew his dagger - intending to slit the silent girl's throat - when her sweet voice assaulted the heavy air for the first time. It gave him pause.
"Why have you come into my territory in such a manner, Madrul?" Her voice was so strong for all that she sounded like she had a sore throat. There was an underlying sweetness to that voice that again pulled at those blasted instincts of his. He didn't want her, he wanted her dead! He wanted the missing part of his soul back! With the rest of his soul restored, he would be unstoppable. But that voice demanded an answer. Stepping closer to his prisoner, Tyr smiled sexily and opened his mouth to answer.
"You knew this would happen when you ran from me," he purred at her. He gave her credit; she hid her shiver well. His voice was a deep baritone that commanded respect. He was a ruthless pirate, driven by his lust for power, but the few times he had bothered to interact with women, they'd all trembled at the sheer authority in his powerful voice.
"You never gave us a chance to surrender, monster," she said, her pretty brown eyes narrowed in fury. Tyr blinked, his stance aggressive. What?
"I'm not talking about today, woman!" It was her turn to blink confusedly.
"What other time would I have had occasion to run from you, Madrul?" she asked. "Your ship, Death, operates in the eastern quadrant of Zumir. This is the southwestern quadrant of Omasu. Are you lost?" A couple of her crew chuckled softly, knowing that they were going to die anyway. But her piercing, clear gaze never left his furious orbs. She obviously wanted answers before she and the rest of her crew were slaughtered. Tyr considered the woman carefully. There was no indication that she remembered him at all. Nothing to indicate that she knew what they were to each other.
"What happened to you, Aissa?" he asked curiously. He had to refrain from laughing at the sudden irritated look on the woman's face. For all that she was no doubt deadly with his stolen property inside of her, she resembled nothing so much as a fluffed out, angry little kitten at the moment.
"My ship was attacked by brutish pirates with no respect for the Code and-"
"I came all the way here to Omasu to claim what you stole from me all those years ago, woman! I-"
"I've never met you to steal from you, Madrul," the woman growled. "Believe me, I would remember such an occurrence." He stalked up to her, annoyed that she didn't flinch as most men would, grabbed her by the face, and tilted her head up to stare into her eyes. Her gaze was alarmed but guileless. There was no recognition in those beautiful orbs of hers. Releasing her abruptly when the need for recognition turned to the need to kiss those plump, luscious-looking lips of hers, he turned away.
"You don't know me."
"I suffered a head injury five years ago. My past is gone." He growled in frustration. He'd expected her to beg, to plead for mercy before he killed her. She'd always been so weak. This stubborn woman would give him no such pleasure.
"Ignorance will not save you, Aissa."
"Who is this 'Aissa'? My name is Zara Titan. I am Captain of The Laughing Sphinx and I have never run from anyone, least of all you." She was goading him! This recklessly brave bitch was goading him. Stomping up to her, he grabbed her severe bun and yanked her into his arms, bearing the dagger expertly. Once assailed by the scent of blood on the man, Zara threw up on him. He released her, stumbling backwards in disgust.
"I can't handle the smell of blood," she shrugged, looking embarrassed and defiant at the same time.
"You're a pirate," he deadpanned. She only continued to stare at him defiantly. He growled and approached her again, yanking her head back to slit her throat.
That which you seek will wither and die without my life to sustain it.
And you will die too, Tyr Anasazi.
Zara's head rolled in his strong grip as she shook like a dog shedding water. Just as suddenly as the words were out of her mouth, her mouth was her own again. Breaking free of his slack grip she gasped and backed away. "What the fuck was that?" she gasped. The words that had tumbled out of her mouth were in a foreign language she didn't understand. She didn't understand where the words came from in the first place. While it was true that a strange knowing would sometimes bubble up out of nowhere in her, it had never had a voice before. Where did it come from? Whatever it was, it had just saved her life. The Madrul was looking at her as if she was some strange new species.
"Take the prisoners to the brig. Gather anything salvageable and burn this ship to the ground. Put her in my quarters."
"I go where my crew goes," Zara said belligerently. Madrul looked at her with a grudging respect.
"You'd rather not clean up, m'lady?" he asked with false respect. She stood up to her full height, challenging her captor. Her body was soaked in blood; it was taking everything in her not to throw up again. But…
"I go where my crew goes," she repeated stubbornly. He nodded and turned to his crew.
"Throw the pirate queen in with her subjects," he said with a laugh. The rest of his crew laughed along with him and the prisoners were led away. Zara walked with as much dignity as she could manage while feeling her stomach roil. Most of her crew didn't know about her aversion to blood. She wondered how they would treat her now that they did. The Madrul's crew pushed them impatiently to the brig, wanting them secured before going to raid their ample stores. The Laughing Sphinx had just finished a raid of their own yesterday. She stumbled when one of the more enthusiastic of his men shoved her into the cell. Darnell, her loyal first mate, caught her before she could crash to the ground. Craig laughed nastily as he walked away.
"What say ye, Captain?" the man still holding her up as she got her bearings asked respectfully. She pulled herself upright, then turned and emptied the remaining contents of her stomach onto the floor. Her men backed away from the puddle of sick but no one said anything.
"I 'say' we be royally fucked," the woman said at last. The cell they were in was solid. There were no rusted hinges or gaps in the cell doors to exploit. In fact, it looked like some poor unfortunate had scrubbed the entire cell recently, likely as a punishment, and just as likely with their toothbrush. Even if they'd been able to escape the cell, there was the small problem of getting to the ground safely. Only a handful of them remained, not nearly enough to overpower the Madrul's crew. And they were more than 40,000 feet in the air, a long way to jump.
"Beggin yer pardon, Captain Zara, but why did he call you 'The Pirate Queen'?" Roger asked, his right arm missing because there'd been a pistol in the modification.
"I haven't a clue," Zara said tiredly. The woman was exhausted from the battle and her subsequent confrontation with Madrul. If she'd been on her own ship, she would have locked herself in her quarters to bathe and reflect on her time in the monster's presence. Everyone knew about Madrul. He was the most ruthless and bloodthirsty pirate to ever roam the skyways. His banner was such that no one stood in his way. When he set his sights on a ship, whole crews were known to commit suicide rather than face him. His crew was almost redundant; the Madrul was known to take on whole crews on his own for sport. Bullets could not touch him, and swords and spears could not harm him. He was lethal and he had no patience. Why had he spared them? Madrul spared no one. It was a mystery why he had a brig at all.
Here we go again! Tyr as a sexy pirate was just too good to resist. This is going to be a wild one, prepare for violence, romance, and eventual lemons. Yep, I've got big plans for this story. See ya next week :D
